He Is All I Need

Praise the Lord. We have, uh, Caitlin's car has. You put a city in and it listens to it one time and then it keeps it. You don't have to be in there. But anyway, randomly, the song came on this morning from my old church. See that crawl gave me a while back. My life is in your hands and I hadn't heard it in a while. We're listening to it. When it was over, I told my family just in the car and I some y'all my family to, but so many times during my life, probably I don't know. This song says 1997. I don't know when we started singing it, but 2030 years of singing this song going through life. There was a lot of times I got up here and I sing this song, you know, and sometimes it was, you know, you go through stuff. I've been through a couple of things. So we all know about some of it. But, uh, ups and downs was a lot of times I sing that song up here. My life's in your hands, you know, and I sing it by faith some of those times because I was going through some tough spots and we can do that every day. It's my thought. Uh, you know, we can trust in the Lord. And when I did think the Lord honors that when we do that, you know, you might not be sure how this is work out. A lot of times that's happened. I don't know. Lord, what? House? How's this gonna? How's this gonna be for my good? You know, just honestly, but he works it for our good. And we most of the time. I don't know why. You know, I don't understand it. But then I can see I can look back. He worked it for my good. I might be like that kid that needed a lot of discipline, and I'm sure I am. But anyway, I wanted to share that. And then when I got done telling my family that in the car said, You know what? I said, That's my testimony. That's part of my testimony. And you know who don't like that? Look in Revelations. The devil. Satan's defeated by the blood of lamb and the word of our testimony and not loving our lives to the death. So that's the word of our testimony. Just that right there. We can trust in him no matter what we're going through. And it's maybe especially the times when we don't see the way out or how he's going

to fix this, how he's going to work this out. Wouldn't need to trust him and say, Lord, I know you got this. And I know you're holding me in your hands. Good morning. It's wonderful to be here. I had this scripture come is Michael was talking, so I want to get up before I talk myself out of it. Um, Jeremiah 17. Just in light of what Michael said, like I said, this is the verse came to me. So I'm just trying to be faithful. Give it up. This is what the Lord says. Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord, for he would be like a bush in the desert, will not see prosperity, will not see when prosperity comes, but will live in stony waste in the wilderness. The land of salt is not inhabited, but blessed is the man whose trust in the Lord and blessed is the man who trust in Lord whose trust is the Lord, for he will be like a tree planted by the water that extends its roots by stream and does not fear when the heat comes, but its leaves will be green. I like this part right here. It will not be anxious in a during that drought. The heart is more deceitful than all else, and it's desperately wicked. Who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart and test the mind to give to each person according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds. I don't know. That just stood out to me that, uh, my life is in his hands and we need to trust him with it. Even when, uh, he takes us through these things, not to be anxious and fearful in it, but also to know that it does work out for good. And, um, he's building us up. He's making us more like him and he's taking us on to higher ground. So well, praise the Lord. Part of me wants to say, well, let's just have the benediction. That was wonderful. I appreciate that. I appreciate the Lord's mercy and faithfulness to us to remind us of all that we have in him. He is so faithful. Uh, I understand this morning that Dean and Diane are in the hospital zooming. So we want to say hi and how much we love you and we're praying for you. We know the Lord's got this and he's got his purposes that he's working out. And for everyone else

that happens to be zooming, praise God. We're glad glad you're with us. And we're looking to the Lord because we ain't got it. Apart from him, we have nothing. But with him, we have everything. Well, I did have a scripture come to me. It goes back to really the first time I ever heard Brother Thomas preach. It was way back in, you know, some of you know the story of how we came in contact. We were living in Asheboro at the time. And Jan and Pat Hartman were invited down on a New Year's Eve in the end of 1968 and went to this strange little church called the Bible Tabernacle. Down on US1, an old brick block church, block building. And they came back and told us about it and it sounded pretty interesting, pretty exciting. So we came down the following week. But then we came down the following week on a Tuesday evening and Brother Thomas, as many of you know, had just moved to Jacksonville to begin the work there, but he was back for a visit. And that was his first visit back, I believe. And I've never forgotten that service. It was just one of those things where the Lord just came and it wasn't anything revolutionary in one sense in the truth that he shared, but there was such a power and such a clarity.

And that's the thing. We need, even truth we've heard a lot, we need it. Because we need to really get it. It needs to become such a part of our being that we don't even have to think about it. It just becomes, that's the way it is. The problem with our minds is that, you know, human beings create habits. You know how a habit's created, don't you? By repeating something over and over and over again. And first of all, and then you come to the point where you don't even have to think about it anymore. And then it takes the work to break that, doesn't it? You have to replace a bad habit with a good one. And so the Lord's got a job on his hands, doesn't he? But is he up to the job? Can he do what the father gave him to do? Yes, he can. And that's the hope that we have today. Well, the scripture that Brother Thomas used on that occasion was a simple one from Colossians 2. And of course he read it in the King James, which was fine. But the name of the message was complete in him. And basically, he emphasized that every single thing we have, we have in Jesus. And that sounds like, okay, well, I know that. You know, big deal, let's go on. But the reality is, do we know that? You know, we've had mentioned already this morning about the reality of life and all that we go through

and what we have to do to get to where we're going. But the reality is God wants to take this truth. He wants to help me this morning. He wants to help you this morning, right where we're at to realize that the answer to everything is not a better religion. It's not a better philosophy. It's not all the things that the world would tell us. It's one thing, and it's a person, and his name is Jesus. And everything that you and I need to navigate God's purpose is in him, but we need to learn how to believe that, to take it personally, and to actually live out the victory that he won at the cross. And I think anybody who's served the Lord any length of time, you know that's a challenge, don't you? It doesn't just sort of automatically happen. We don't just say, yes, Jesus, and boom, we're done. We've got a life to live in this world. And so, you know, the scripture in this translation that I tend to use most of the time now, it's not a big deal, but anyway, for in Christ, all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form. Everything that God is and has is in Jesus. So every possible resource we could ever need is there. It resides in him. You're talking about the deity of our savior. Praise God, he's got every resource that could possibly be needed to fulfill God's purpose. And in Christ, you have been brought to fullness.

What's the tense of that verb? I like to get into tense situations here, don't I? Don't mind me. That's the past tense, isn't it? That means something God has already done. We have been brought to fullness. We have been given. Past tense, not maybe sometime if we just hang on tight, maybe we'll get what we need. He's already given us everything we need. We have fullness. And how well do I remember Brother Thomas emphasizing you can't add something to something that's complete. It's not Christ plus this or Christ plus that, it's Christ, period. Everything that we need is in Him. And of course, my mind wants to go in every direction with that, but I'm just going to go ahead and just look at the Scriptures in the context a little bit here because Paul is concerned in writing to these believers, in the first place, this is a place he's never been. Somebody that worked with Paul had raised up this church and then told Paul all about it, and Paul was so enthused and excited and thankful for what God was doing, and he talks about how he prays for them and what he's praying. We've used those Scriptures many times, but there's one thing that he was concerned about because this world is full of ideas, isn't it? Men have, you know, they understand the world is a difficult place to navigate. We've got troubles, we've got trials, we have questions, we have so many things, and the world is full of things that purport to be answers. And so Paul was concerned that you don't get your eyes off of God's answer. There is one answer to everything in life, and His name is Jesus. And you start listening to these other voices, you're going to go off track and you're going

to be, you're going to suffer for the consequences of that. We need Jesus, period. Alright? So Paul is rejoicing, excuse me, he was in prison at this particular time, well thank the Lord. Devil, you can't hinder this. Praise the Lord. The Lord's able to help me get through this crazy throat here. Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you. That's an interesting point of view, isn't it? Paul realized in order for me to do what God has called me to do and help you, I've got to go through stuff. And he actually came to realize that that wasn't an obstacle, that was a means to an end. Because Jesus died in order to give us what He gives us, doesn't He? He laid down an earthly life so that we could have a heavenly one. And that's what He calls every one of us to, is to lay down this earthly life so His heavenly life can more and more live in us. Well for Paul, that meant a call to help God's people. So he wasn't just, oh God, I've got to suffer and I hate it, but he said, I rejoice, sounds like a choice to me, doesn't it? I rejoice in what I am suffering for you and fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the Word of God in its fullness, not holding anything back. The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations but is now disclosed to the Lord's people. We've talked about this quite a bit recently. The whole purpose of this world is a mystery to the world. They have no idea why we're here and what the world's all about.

And so they pursue it in every possible way other than what its real purpose is. But God had a reason and it's to produce something that lasts forever. When He's done with this, it'll be done. It'll be burned up. So everything you're trying to build here, if that's what your heart's focused on, that's the destiny. Anyway, we've talked about that. But the fact is that God was working all the way through up until the coming of Christ. He was working upon fulfilling the purpose that He had designed this world to accomplish. And that was a mystery, even to the devil, even to angels. But here it was. Now it's time to announce to the world, this is what the world is about. And it all has been brought to pass through Jesus Christ and what happened at the cross. That's the center of everything. And I'll tell you, as long as we continue to focus our attention on what happened there, but not just what happened there, but how that affects, is meant to affect us, how it's meant to affect me this morning, how it's meant to affect you this morning, regardless of where we're at in our journey, absolutely what happened there is meant to play out in your life this morning. I'm not saying anything we haven't heard a lot, but you might need this this morning. Yeah, we need to continue to hear it because we need this to become such, so embedded in our brains that it's just the way we think. We don't have to stop and say, oh yeah, wait a minute, I'm supposed to be ... It just becomes natural to say, Lord, I know you're in control. My life is in your hands. And I know that the purpose the Father has committed into your life. hands is absolutely being worked out right here right now and that I can trust you even when I don't have the answers because you are the answer. Praise God. So here's the mystery that's been hidden, kept hidden for ages and generations but it's now disclosed to the Lord's people, to them. God has chosen

to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery. So what's the mystery now? Christ in you, what? The hope of glory. There's the key to everything. I'll tell you if our hearts become the home for Jesus, surrendered, our life is truly in his hands. I'll tell you he has the power to absolutely take us all the way out of here, through this, all the way to the other side and there's nothing but glory on the other side. Praise God. That's my hope and of course we have to make the point again that we've made so many times, hope is not just a wish. Like I hope, I sure hope it works out. This is a confident expectation that is founded upon the promise and the purpose of God and ain't nobody's gonna say different. Nobody can counter his plan. Praise God. But all of that is invested in one person and his name is Jesus and so the more we get to know him, the more we get to understand that we are, we have everything that we need, everything that we need, not just in some vague general sense but right here, right now, this morning, wherever you and I are at, we have what we need in a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God. What was Jesus' own words right before he went to the cross? His testimony of who he was in the grand scheme of things. I am what? The way, the truth, and the life. I'm not just one of the truths out there and you can pick, take your pick. I am the way. There's no other way. God's put everything in his hands and there is no other way to come out of this world alive except through Jesus. I'm the truth. There is no other truth that is apart from him. If it's not what he says and not what he stands for, it's not true. And we've every reason to identify it and reject it and say Jesus is my Lord and I'm trusting in what he says. His promises are true. They're true for me right now. Not dependent on how I feel and how things look. I'm standing on what Jesus has said, what God has said through his Son, what he's provided for him. I am complete. I don't feel complete. Like has been said this morning, we get in situations where we don't have the answer but I serve someone who is the answer. Who absolutely understands what it takes to get somebody like me all the way from what I am to glory. Anybody here got the resources to that? You know how to get there? You got the ability to make yourself up into what

God wants? But I've got someone who doesn't just stand there and shout instructions and say try to make it. He is absolutely enough to take me all the way home. Lifts the burden from my heart. Oh how we carry our own burdens. Oh how we try to add this and add that and we forget that he's given us everything. Do you realize if you know the Lord and you've handed your life over to him, you're complete? It sounds strange because you say well yeah but I see all these needs. I'm not there yet. That's not what it's about. Yes there's a process of working that completeness out. I have everything that I could ever possibly need in Jesus. Right now it is in my possession. I have but to just look to him and lay hold of it as I need it. But what about tomorrow? Oh God. Tomorrow will take care of the of itself. I serve someone who already knows what tomorrow brings. There's not a single thing that would ever surprise our Savior. Do you think he's, oh God I didn't plan for that. Father help me out here. He's already got. He's complete. perfectly equipped to handle somebody like you and somebody like me and to take everything that happens in our lives and exactly what's been said this morning bring it together and work it together for good because he loves us praise God all right so the mystery is Christ in you the hope of glory and again he we have everything we need so he is the one we proclaim admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom why so we may present everyone fully mature in Christ to this end I strenuously contend how does Paul do that well I went to seminary and I was the top student there man I was born with I'm so intelligent I'm so smart I'm so gifted how does how did Paul do what he did the same way that God wants every one of us to do what he puts in front of us to this end I strenuously contend so there's a there's a positive effort but where is he getting the power to do this with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me see Paul had to actually work walk in what he was talking about it wasn't just hey I got this dog I got this idea that was portrayed in seminary so now I'm going to explain it to you so you get the doctrine right this was a reality that Paul had to had to actually walk in when

he was sitting there writing this and his circumstances weren't good he was in prison and had been for many years I believe at this point I think this is when he was in Rome but whatever it was Paul was a prisoner for the Lord had suffered all kinds of things and yet here he is saying I have got everything God's got got something for me to do kind of heard that lately God has a plan for every one of us he's got works that have been foreordained for us to do and this was what Paul had been given to do so Paul say okay God how am I supposed to do this oh yeah I am complete in him praise God I he is the one I need if he's given me this to do that would be kind of silly for him to give me something to do and not give me the power to do it when he knows I can't other apart from him but how easy is it for us to listen to that and not relate it to our daily lives all of the things that you and I have to deal with whether is laying brick or cutting shrubbery or building houses or whatever it is you have the ability in Christ to be the person that God has designed you to be and where he what he wants you and me to be looking at every single thing that he that he puts right in front of us puts right in front of us to be to have our eyes on him and not on the impossibility and the difficulty and only and I'm I feel so sorry for myself and all you know all the things the human reactions that we have God is wanting to take us beyond that praise God all right so he says I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Odessa another city and for all who have not met me personally my goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding that's why God has to constantly remind us of things that we've heard a gazillion times but yet we somehow we need it don't we because we don't quite get it when it really comes to life we find ourselves grappling with this and dealing with that and struggling and not trusting and being anxious and all those kinds of human reactions and we just completely forget what the Lord said hey you're complete in him you've got everything that you need you know we sing the chorus he is all I need now it's gotten quiet wonder why is he is that true but do we live that way all

the time we've got lots of room to grow don't we but do we have the resources or is he withholding something from us because we just don't deserve it oh I thank God it isn't based on that It's based on my need. That's why I can go to the throne, to find grace, to help when I'm in time of need. Oh, what an invitation that is. I can go right past all of the resources that earth would provide, all the things the devil would try to misdirect me to look here and look to that. I can go right to the throne of the universe. And I don't have to come there because I deserve it. I come there because I have a need. But my appeal is not, Lord, I'm trying. You need to reward my effort here. I'm just, I'm trying, Lord. God wants to take us beyond trying to trusting, to actually believing that He loves us, that He is there, that whatever we face that moment, we have the right to say, Lord, I'm trusting you with this situation, with this need, whatever it is that I feel in my body, in my circumstances, you name it. It just covers all of human life. I am absolutely looking to you right this moment, and I believe that you are here and you are strengthening me. And so instead of looking at my circumstances or whatever it is and saying, oh, God, help me, oh, help me, help me, help me, help me, we just, we ask and we ask and we ask. Or we lament our situation instead of saying, Lord, thank you. I rest upon your promise. And even though I'm not asking for feelings here, I'm just asking that you would strengthen me. Because many times the answer, most of the time, the answer is not for God to flood ourselves with these glorious feelings of euphoria and joy and what we call victory. Oh, God, how many people chase that, thinking that if they can feel it, it's real?

It's real when we don't feel it. It's just as real, and we are just as complete. We have everything we need right now, right here, regardless of the circumstances. Praise God. Boy, the devil would chase it, would cause us to chase this and chase that and look from this other experience that I've got to have this experience or else. I need just more of Jesus. I just need more of him, and he's available. He is all that I need, okay? All right, and they may have the full riches of complete understanding in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Everything we could possibly ever, every resource we could possibly ever need is in him. God has absolutely put his, I mean, his whole being is right there in Jesus. That's what he says down below, that the fullness of deity exists in bodily form in our Lord Jesus Christ. So every resource that the Father himself has is right there, and he does it specifically, not just so Jesus can, we can say, wow, Jesus, we certainly do that, but so that those resources can be funneled right to you and you and you and you and even me. Praise God. Praise God. Again, I'm not saying anything we haven't said a whole bunch of times, but every one of us needs this every day, just like we eat food that we enjoy. There are certain kinds of food we don't say, oh Lord, I've had that. There's stuff that we need for nutrition, for just strength to get through the day. Well, we've got somebody that we can go to and that the Lord wants us to get our eyes on and off of the other stuff and say, Jesus, Father, I thank you for giving me Jesus. Because I am not just, I don't have just part of what I need. I've got everything that I need right here, right now. And so I'm going to lean on, I'm going to trust you and believe.

I tell you this so that no, and here's where he's concerned about other ideas coming in. And I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine sounding arguments. Now whether that's coming from the philosophies of the world or whether, we're listening to spirits and to demons talking to our minds. We've learned a lot about that lately, haven't we? I'll tell you, if there is an idea that comes into your head and it's contrary to what God has revealed in His Word, we have every right to call it out for what it is and reject it. That's part of standing on what God has revealed. God has given. That's part of trust. It has to be trust in action, not just in theory. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in your faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Well, that sounds to me like it's describing the process that we often talk about. So, my saying, I'm complete in Him, doesn't mean I've got, I've arrived. But it does mean that every point, at every point in my journey, I have all that I need. And so where, again, where does He want me looking? Where should I look when I feel a need? When I, when I, when the Lord reminds me about a need in my own heart, in my own life, and we all got them. I mean, what else is He going to be, why do we need to be changed if we, if we've already arrived? But, oh, He has given me everything. Somehow, and we've made this point, I guess, many times, that part of the unfolding of God's purpose is not just to zap us into glory, but it's to, it's to form us by the choices we learn to make in the middle of this broken world.

Oh, what a glorious truth it is that we can always look and say, wait a minute, I already possess, I possess, they are mine, I possess everything that I need because I have Him. And He isn't just out there instructing me, He's in here to live and to give me power so that it's not I, it's no longer I that's living. I've got another one living in me. Now, if we ignorantly react and act according to our human nature, which still exists in these bodies, then for all practical purposes, we're still enslaved by that, aren't we? So this is where the God wants to, God is teaching us. And every circumstance that He brings, every difficulty, every challenge that He brings into your life is by design, just as has been said this morning. How many things work together for good? Let that sink in. Think about the things that are going on in your life. Does He really mean that? Does He mean that thing? And what about this thing? And what about what I'm, how is this going to work out? It's just what's been expressed this morning. Yes, He means that thing. And in that thing, what are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to handle that? Oh God, this is getting beyond me, Lord. This is, I don't feel good, I don't like this, it's just not right, the way somebody treated me is not right, I have every right to react the way I'm, God sent that so that you would let go of your old nature and its hold. And you would get your eyes up every single time and say, wait a minute, I understand something here, devil, I don't care what you do, what you put in my path, I know something. I know someone. And He's right here in the middle of it. And the thing that you've designed for evil to try to discourage me and turn me out of

the way, He is taking that and He's making me into His image. And He's fulfilling His purpose, this is part of it. And so I don't have to, I can lift, I can look up, I can say, thank you, Lord. You know, we use so many examples so many times of Paul being discouraged by the oppression of the enemy in that one circumstance. And yet, didn't the Lord come and answer him at just the right time and enable Paul to see what was happening to him from a whole different perspective and said, wait a minute, God hasn't done this because there's something wrong, He's done that because He's doing something right. He wants me to understand more about Him and how the Christian life works. And so thank you, Lord, that I'm weak and dependent on you because you have all the resources I could ever need. I'm complete. I don't have to be discouraged this morning or any morning. But I'll tell you what, it's just… Our thinking is so messed up by being part of this world. Trying to learn that to the point where it just becomes our natural reaction to say, well, praise God, God's got this and I've got everything I need in Jesus. That's not our first reaction, is it? And so one of the things that the Lord is seeking to do in allowing stuff in our lives is to constantly give or frequently give us opportunities. We see them as something other than an opportunity, don't we? But He gives us opportunity to make a choice and the more we learn how to make the right choice, the more it becomes the natural reaction to circumstances. That sounds like a path towards victory. Sounds like growing up and maturing. Well, that's kind of what He's talking about here. Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him. That sounds like I'm constantly going to Him because I need this right now. It's not about tomorrow, it's right this moment.

He is my source, He is my strength. I have the right to just rest in Him, to not give in to anxiety, to not give in to fear, to not give in to anger or anything else or discouragement because He is my source right now. And even though He doesn't necessarily give me the feeling right now, I learn that the whole of the Christian life is learning to look to Him. After all, how do I run the race? Looking unto Jesus. He's the author and the finisher of my faith. He's the one who gave it to me in the first place. He's going to give me that and say, well, now you're on your own, good luck. He is right there and I'm complete in Him. Right this moment, I possess everything I need. Now experiencing that and growing up in that is the process, but at every point in the process, I have every right to look to Him and say, Lord, I thank You for what I need right this moment. I guess I'm saying the same thing over and over again, but it's something that I need to hear because, well, because I'm just, I'm like you. I happen to have this particular role today, but I'm absolutely made of the same stuff. And there are things that in my particular place in life that I have to contend with, that if I listened to them, if I gave into them, it wouldn't be good, but so do you. Do you have what you need? Oh God, I'm not strong enough, I'm not smart enough, but I know somebody who is. The whole point of God's purpose is for us to learn how to rely upon His life because it's ultimately God's life. That's the whole point. God is sharing His life with people. You know, in the beginning, we were created beings with created life and God's purpose was to have a people who partook of His life. That's what the tree of life was about.

Now when they sinned, they were removed from that so they couldn't partake of the tree of life and live forever. But now, because of Jesus, we have a right to walk right back up to that tree because the sin has been absolutely canceled, the cross. There's no, I don't care what we've done, we can let it go, we can walk away from it and hand it over to Jesus because He is, we've reported so many times, He is just, faithful, and just to forgive us our sins. What does the just part mean? It has to do with justice. It's a legal term, isn't it? Yeah, the law, that's exactly it. The law has been fulfilled. The law has been fulfilled. The law that condemns you was absolutely fulfilled and we have the right to come to Him and believe, actually believe that God took my sins, oh praise God, took my sins, and they were charged to another who stood there in my place and took my punishment. The law was satisfied. The devil has no right to condemn you or me. We have every right to bring that, yes, we, well, Scripture tells us not to sin, but when we do, we have an advocate with the Father. We have every right to come to Him and say, Lord, I need you. I want to walk in the light. I want to just be straight. I want to be honest, but I don't have... I don't have to carry the burden of my sin anymore. You are, I'm complete in Him. That's part of my, that's a major part of my completeness. I don't have to carry the burden of all that's wrong with me because I've, He put me, He took care of me at the cross. And I embrace that.

I lay down this earthly life because I want the heavenly one. That's what life is about. And folks, the more we get focused on everyday life, if we just get focused on everyday life, it's kind of easy to walk away from this and not to be really relevant to those everyday things that we go through. What is your life about? What is my life about? It's about living out the mystery of allowing Christ to so work in my heart and to know that He is faithful in all that He does, and He's everything that I could ever need. What is your need today? What is your need? Are you sad? Are you feeling defeated? Are you feeling guilty? Are you feeling anxious because you don't know what's going to, there's something you don't understand and you don't know how, like it was said, you don't know how it's going to work out? What's the answer to that? His name is Jesus and we go to Him. Like the song we sang this morning, sometimes there's a waiting period that comes into play. But when we hand Him the burdens that life throws at us and we recognize, yes, I in Him have, God's already given me everything that I need. He is all of it. And He means for me to live that today. It's amazing that we have to say these things so many times and so forcefully, but the reality is we don't really get it, do we? Like God wants us to get it. And so He's lovingly telling us over and over again. You can go back through chapter one and you can see all the things because some of it, I'm not going to go through it now, but I mean, you can see where I need understanding.

I need God to enlarge my understanding of what's going on so I can intelligently participate and realize, hey, I really have everything I need. He is all, and I need to trust Him right now in this circumstance. He gives me the strength so that when I am called to have to stand and persevere through a difficult situation, and the answer is not to get rid of the situation, the answer is to help me to be able to stand in spite of it because He wants to make me stronger in Him. But I can understand that and I can say, okay, I get it, Lord, but you're not letting me, you're not throwing me into this situation so that I can just find the resources somewhere or somewhere down in here. You are the resource right now and you want me to experience you in a fresh way. And I'm going to grow up and I'm going to learn more about you and I'm going to become more what you want me to be. Praise God. Do we really realize that God has given, not only has He given us everything we need, He is everything we need right now. I'm going to go back to, I guess, the scripture that was referred to earlier, and that's where Paul is talking about the all things. In Romans 8, it's hard not to read this in this context, and we know that in all things, God works. See, God's not just off somewhere leaving us to our own resources. He's right here. He is at work. When you're in your worst moment, if we could have our eyes open, God is at work. Because God wants to turn our eyes off of the moment and say, but wait a minute, I have a promise. I have a Savior and I'm complete in Him. I have given Him my heart and my life and I have everything I need right here, right now. In all things, God works.

For the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose, again, that's to bring us to glory, isn't it? For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He, the Son, might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters, and those He predestined, He also called those He called, He also justified. There's the legal side of it. The devil has no right to point to anything that is wrong with us. If we have truly surrendered and put ourselves in his hands, we are forgiven. Praise God. You know, I had occasion last night to listen again to Dan. or a song, oh wow, what a powerful testimony, he has forgiven me. I know what it's like, and she describes what her life was, but then how God brought her to that reality that he has forgiven me. And so because of that, I can look the devil in the eye and say he has forgiven me. Can you do that? If we understand what Jesus has done, what the cross means, we can understand our need but we don't have to dwell there. We can go straight from our need to God's answer to that need and be free as if it had never happened. You know, it's like it's been often said, don't go fishing in the sea of God's forgetfulness. Praise God. So anyway, I've gotta go on and just read this. How can you not read the end of this passage here? What then? In view of the fact that we're called, we're justified, we're glorified, I forgot that part,

this is where he puts this in the past tense, he's already done it, it's as good as done. That's what hope means. Means I'm part of a process that's just, yes, it's unfolding, but it's as good as done. So he wants me to find a place of trust and rest and when I don't have an answer, he has the answer and when I need to know it, he'll help me. I'm in his hands, my life is in his hands, praise God. So anyway, what then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? That's a pretty good promise, isn't it? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also along with him graciously give us most things? All things. How about all things work together for good, but now he's giving us all things. That sounds pretty much like what Paul said later to the Colossians. When he talks about we're complete in him, in him we have fullness. He's giving us like there's a container of all that God has for us and it's not like we gotta add, we gotta fill in the gap, it's full. And that's what I need today, I need it right this moment, I need it this afternoon, so do you.

But it's available to every one of us if we can just lift our eyes from the stuff of this world and keep the mind in him and thank him and trust him and learn from him and grow. That's what Paul talked about, being rooted. What happens when a plant has a need? The roots go down, that's part of a natural response. What a picture, that simple picture that is. Boy, are we planted as a pretty rich soil? Anything lacking in that soil? And the life that's in us is a life that can't die and now we can reach down and get more and more of the nutrients we need. Oh, praise God, I need this, praise the Lord. All right, how much more will he not also along with him graciously give us all things who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Jesus has already gone before the ultimate judge in the universe. He's already gone there. Talk about the Supreme Court. That is the Supreme Court of Supreme Courts. And he took his own blood that represented his life and it represented my life. He said, here it is. And the father said, case closed. The guilt is gone, the debt is paid. Satan has no more power over the ones who have trusted in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Oh, wouldn't we do well to learn that? So who has the right to condemn? Why do we listen? No one has the right to condemn. Christ, who died more than that, who was raised to life is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution, famine, nakedness or danger or sword? Paul knew a lot about that stuff, didn't he? As it is written. So he was writing from real experience. This wasn't something he learned in classroom. He learned it in the school of hard knocks. As it is written, for your sake we face all death all day long. We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things. See, it doesn't even say in spite of, in. You see how God is using whatever happens here? It's not just in spite of that, we're going to get you through. In these things, God is doing something that is part of fulfilling the mystery. But I have everything that I need to be brought through, completely ready to stand before Him in glory, in white. All because of Him. All because of a Savior. Oh, we need to lift up His name and give Him praise and honor this morning. He is a perfect Savior and we are complete in Him. In all these things, we are more than conquerors. How?

Through Him, who tolerates, I mean, who loved us. For I am convinced, and Paul had a lot of experience going into this, didn't he, where he had to learn. I'm convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth or anything else in all creation, if anything I left out is anything else, nothing, will be able to separate us from the love of God. Where is that? It is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Oh, if you've given your heart to Him, you're complete. Everything that you need, everything that I need to take us all the way home, we already possess. And so even though I'm in the middle of the process, today, right this moment, I have what I need. This afternoon, I have what I need. Now He may allow me to experience something where I've got to stop and say, wait a minute. Okay, Lord, I need Your help. Is He there? Will He listen? Yes, He will. Because He is absolutely watching over every single one of us to bring us all the way to glory. And He's not going to stop until we get there. That's the glorious mystery that's unfolding in this world, is what God is doing to gather a people and get them ready for another one. And it's happening and it will happen. But every, every resource, this is what God wants to get through to all of us today. Every resource that we need to make that happen, we have. We possess it. It is ours.

It has been credited to our account and no one can cancel that. We are complete in Him. To Him be the glory. Praise the Lord. I don't know what a title should be, but I ... He is all I need, might be one. I'm not going to go ahead and borrow Brother Thomas' title, Complete in Him, but that was a good one. But I have all that I need in Him. To Him be the glory. But wouldn't it be good if we remember that moment by moment, day by day? Wouldn't it make a difference? Certainly would for me. I believe it would for everyone. How much praise and glory should we be giving Him? He is worthy. He is worthy. Praise God.